Conveyer for bottles, &amp;c.



PATENTED OCT. 3, 1905.

J. P. GEGENHBIMER.

CONVBYER FOR BOTTLES &c.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.15,19os.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

3 @ANTI l aman No. 800,639. PATBNTED OCT. 8, 1905. J. F. GEGBNHBIMER.CONVEYER POR BTTLES, 6m.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 15,1903. l

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

liv- SQ j @www UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ooNvEYER Fon BOTTLES, ao.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1905.

Application filed October 15l 1903. Serial No. 177,193.

To all Hwm, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. (uraemnmrmER,aJ citizen of the UnitedStates, residing atGlassboro, in the county of Gloucester and State ofNew Jersey, have invented a new and useful Con veycr for Bottles, zc.,of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a conveyer for carrying bottles and otherarticles of glass to the' for handling such articles and capable of en--abling a large number of the latter to be quickly transferred from oneplace to another.

A further object of the invention is to provide a conveyer of thischaracter' adapted particularly for use in glass-works where only asmall amount of space is available for a conveyer and capable of havingdifferent portions of it arranged at an angle to each other to suit thespace in which the conveyer is to be placed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conveyer capable ofautomatically discharging its contents when the same arrive at itsdischarge end and adapted to deliver fiat bottles and similar objects toa receiving-table with the same facility as round bottles.

Furthermore, the invention has for its object to improve the means forconnecting the carriers with the cable whereby the carriers aremaintained at the proper interval and are eti'octually prevented fromslipping on the cable.

The invention also has for its object to provide a carrier having aplurality of surfaces or supporting portions for the reception ofbottles and other articles and to enable several kinds of such articlesto be maintained separate from each other and to be delivered toseparate portions of the receiving-table to prevent the several kinds orstyles from becoming mixed while transferring them tothe leer-s orannealing-ovens.

'With these and other objects in View the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of constructionwithin the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit or sacriiicing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of a conveyerconstructed in accordance with this invention, the central portion andone end being illustrated for convenience. Fig. 2 is a plan view showingthe other end of the conveyer. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing thecentral portion and both ends of the conveyer. Fig. 4 is an endelevation illustrating the construction of the driving mechanism. Fig. 5is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the conveyer, showing one ofthe clamp-engaging wheels. Fig. 6 is a plan View of a portion of theconveyer, illustrating the arrangement of the horizontal clamp-engagingguide-wheels. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the carriers. Fig. 8is a perspective view of the same. Fig. 9 is an elevation of'one of theclamps. Fig. 1() is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 11 is aplan View of the same. Fig. 12 is a reverse plan View of the same.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

1 and 2 designate vertical standards arranged in pairs at the ends ofthe conveyer and provided at their top with suitable bearings for thereception of horizontal shafts 3 land 4, upon which are mounted verticalclampengaging cable-carrying wheels 5 and 6. The standards areapproximately triangular or V-shaped, as shown, being composed ofinclined sides connected at the top and bottom and constructed offlanged metal, or any other desired construction may be provided. Thestandards 1 are stationary, and the other standards 2 are mounted insuitable ways of sill-pieces 7, which receive the standards 2 and whichare provided with ad justing-screws 8 for tightening the cable 9. Theadjustingscrews are disposed horizontally, beingmounted in threadedopenings or projections 10 and arranged at the inner sides of thestandards, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The projections may beconstructed in any desired manner and may consist of atransverselykdisposed connecting bar or piece.

The endless cable 9, which is cdnstructed of steel wire, is arranged inperipheral IOO IIO

cable.

grooves of the upright wheels 5 and 6, and it has mounted upon it atregular intervals clamps 11, which support carriers 12 and which provideprojecting portions for engaging corresponding recesses 13 of the wheels5 and 6, whereby the wheels and the. endless cable form substantiallysprocket-gearing. By this construction the conveyer is positivelyoperated when either of the wheels 5 and 6 is driven. Each clamp l1 iscomposed of upper and lower sections 14 and 15, provided withlaterally-projecting portions or cars 16 and 17 and connected by screws18. The ad- Ijacent faces of the upper and lower sections of' the clampare provided with corresponding scmicircular recesses 19, which providea cable-receiving aperture when the sections of the clamp are assembled.The clamp is provided with an interior chamber 20, located at and formedby enlarging the recesses of' the sections, and thev upper section isprovided with a socket 21 and has an opening 22 in the bottom thereof toprovide a filling-opening for the said chamber 20. In applying the.clamp to the cable the sections are separated and the cable is placed inthe opening 19, and the sections are then tightly clamped to the cableby the screws 18. The chamber 20 is then filled with Babbitt metal,which is poured through the opening 22. When the Babbitt metal cools,the clamp will be firmly secured to the cable and will be effectuallyprevented from slipping. The lower section 15, which is engaged by theend wheels 5 and 6, is tapered and rounded, as shown, and it is providedin the lower portion with a transverse opening' 23, designed to receivean axle or spindle 24, on which is mounted flanged wheels 25. Theflanged carrying-wheels, which are journaled on the ends of the shaft oraxle 24, run upon upper and lower tracks 26 and 27 and are adapted tosupport the upper and lower flights of' the cable to prevent the samefrom sagging at. the center and also to avoid straining the The shaft oraxle 24 is suitably fixed to the lower portion of the clamp, and it isprovided at its ends with spindles for the reception of the wheels 25.Thelower portion or section of' the clamp is preferably constructed offlanged material, as indicated in Figs. 9 to 12, inclusive, and isprovided at opposite sides with recesses forming a central web. Therecesses 13 of the wheels 5 and 6 taper inwardly to conform to the shapeof the inner or lower portions of the clamps, and they intersect theperiphery of the wheels, the intermed iate portions being provided withthe grooves for the reception of the cable. The threaded socket 21 ofthe clamp is designed to receive a threaded stem 28 of the carrier 12,and the latter is designed to be constructed, as illustrated in Figs. 7and 8 of the accompanying drawings, with oppositcly-disposed'uppcr andlower receptacles or .supporting portions 29 and 30, arranged indifferent horizontal and vertical el; .y scosse planes and extending inopposite directions from the intermediate stem or shank 28. Thesupporting portions 29 and 3() are connected at their adjacent ends byan intermediate upright portion 31, which is disposed above the stem,and in order to stifl'en the supporting portions 29 and 3() the carrieris provided at its lower face with longitudinal webs or flanges 32 and33, the flange or web 32 being extended at its inner end along the upperportion of the stem 28. The upper and lower supporting portions orreceptacles 29 and 3() have a length to receive a bottle when the sameis placed in a horizontal position, and the central connecting portion31 forms an inner end wall for the lower receptacle or portion 30. The

lower portion of' the stem 28 is provided with screw-threads forengaging the socket of the clamp; but the carrier may be mounted on theclamp and maintained in fixed relation with the conveycr in any otherdesired manner, and the socket and stem may be reversed. The upper andlower supporting portions of the carrier are provided with side and endflanges 34 and to prevent round bottles and similar articles fromrolling off or being thrown from the carrier by the motion of theconveycr. The end flanges extend a considerable distance above the sideflanges, which are very low and form only slight projections, so thatthe bottles or other articles will slide or roll off the carrier and bedischarged upon the receiving-table when the former is tilted laterallyor inclined, as hereinafter explained. The double carrier is designedespecially for use when several styles or kinds of bottles or otherarticles are being manufactured sim ultaneously, and the upper and lowersupporting portions will enable several styles or kinds to be handledseparately from each other without liability of being mixed. Instead ofemploying a double carrier a single supportingsurface may be used, andwhen so arranged the supporting-stem will be centrally disposed. Thesupporting-stem may be secured in a socket of either the clamp or thecarrier by a set-screw to facilitate a ready separation of' the parts,so that a single carrier may be substituted for"the double carrier, andvice versa. Also the stems and sockets maybe of' polygonal shape incross-section, if desired.

The flanged supporting-wheels are provided at their inner sides or faceswith flanges for engaging the side edges of the upper and' lower tracks,and the latter are mounted on inwardly-extending arms or brackets 36 and37, preferably formed integral with frames or uprights 38, which arearranged at intervals and which are connected by suitable transversebars or pieces 39 and 40. The uprights or frames 38 are provided attheir tops with inwardly-extending arms 41, and they support sheet-metalplates or pieces which forma casing 42 for the conveyor. 'lhe uprightsor frames are also connected by longitlnlinal bars IOO or beams 43,arranged at the top of the framework, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. Thebars and other members of the supporting-framework may be either flangedor plain, and the supporting-framework may be constructed in any desiredmanner to secure the necessary strength. The casing 42, which issupported by the frameworleconsists of uprightand horizontal portions,the latter being located at the top of the framework and termina'iingshort of the longitudinal center thereof to provide a centrallongitudinal opening 45 for the reception or passage of the stems orportions which connect the carriers with the clamps. The tracks consistof fiat bars or rails having curved or overlapped portions 46 and 47arranged at the ends of the conveyer and adapted to receive and guidethe wheels, whereby the latter are transferred from one track to theother.

The conveyer travels in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3 of thedrawings, and the carriers are adapted to deposit their contents upon areceiving-table 48, having a central longitudinal partition 49 to divideit into separate portions or compartments and supported by suitablelegs, as shown. The table is provided at its receiving end withpermanentlyhinged sections 50 and 51, which are adapted to be swungupward and downward to arrange them in proper position to receive thecontents of the carriers. The body portion of the table is providedadjacent to its receiving end with a series of rollers 52, and thehinged sections 50 and 51 are also provided with rollers 53 forfacilitating the discharge of the contents of the carriers. The hingedsections are located a short distance below the plane of the upperflight of the endless earrier or conveyer, and when -the carriers arriveat the discharging end of the conveyer they are automatically tilted orinclined as they descend toward the receiving-table, and their contentsare thereby discharged upon the same. The inclination is sufcient tocause the contents of the carriers to roll over the side flanges 34, andthe rollers cause the bottles or other articles to slide readilydown theinclined sections upon the receiving-table. Round bottles will readilyroll down the inclined sections; but the rollers 52 and 53 areespecially advantageous in handling paneled bottles and various otherarticles. The hinged sections of the receiving-table are supported intheir adjusted position by braces 54, hinged at their upper ends 55 tothe sections and secured at their lower portions by suitable clam pingdevices 56. These clamping devices may consist of set-screws orthumb-nuts, and they will permit the hinged sections to be readilyadjusted to suit the character of' the goods to be handled. The table isalso designed to be adjusted or moved toward and from the conveyer toenable the hinged sections to be positioned properly with relation tothe carrier, so that the latter will clear the upper ends of the hingedsections 50 and 51 and properly deliver their contents to the same. Thetable is slightly inclined at the top, as shown, and it is provided atits outer end with a fiangc or stop 57 to prevent the` bottles or otherarticles from rolling ofl". The rollers 52 of the table terminate shortof the center, and the lower port-ion of the top of the table retardsthe downward movement of the bottles and other articles and prevents thesame from being broken or otherwise injured. The rollers of the tableand its hinged sections, the lower portion of the top 'of' the table,and the carriers are covered with asbestos to prevent the hot bottlesor' other articles from being injured through contact with cold metallicsurfaces.

The conveyer is especially adapted for us'in glass factories,where thereis often little available space for such an apparatus, and the flexiblecharacter of the endless cable will permit the conveyer to be deflectedlaterally in any desired direction, and for this purpose horizontalguide-wheels 58 are employed. These guide-wheels, which are designed tobe arranged in a suitable casing, are mounted upon a vertical shaft andhave grooved peripheries to receive the cable.- These guide-wheels arealso provided at intervals with recesses to receive the clamps, whichtaper transversely at opposite sides of'the center to fit theguidewheels and to enable the same to be arranged at either side of theconveyer. By this construction the conveyer may be caused to travel acircuitous path around the glass-works in which it is used, and themanufactured articles may be placed on the carriers at various pointsthroughout the length of' the conveyer, and they will be automaticallydelivered upon the receiving-table, from which they can be quicklytransferred to the leers or annealingchamber. This will enable thenumber of boys usually provided for this purpose to be greatly reduced,and breakage and other accidents to the manufactured articles incidentto the employment of a large force of' boys will also be greatlyreduced, especially where the space is small and it is necessary for alarge number of boys to operate therein.

The conveyer may be driven from either end, but preferably at thedelivery end, and the shaft 3 carries a gear-wheel 59, which meshes witha pinion 60 of a lower laterallyextending shaft 61, which projectslaterally from one side of the apparatus. The shaft 61 has keyed orotherwise secured to it a pulley 62, designed to receive a belt; .butany other form of gearing may be employed, as will be readily apparent.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, isv 1. An apparatus of the classdescribed comprising an endless conveyer, a table arranged IOO IIO

to receive the contents of the conveyer and having a fixed portion andprovided with an adjustableinclined portion or section, the latterforming a continuation of the table in all of its adjustments, and meansfor automatically discharging the contents ot' the conveyer upon theinclined section or portion, substaiitially as described.

2. An apparatus oi' theclass described, coniprising an endless conveyer.a support arranged to receive the contents of the conveyer and having afixed portion and provided with an adjustable portion or section hingedthereto and forming a continuation thereof in all of its adjustments,and means for automatically discharging the coi-itents of the conveyeron the adjustable portion or section, siibstantially as (.lescribed.

3. An apparatus of the class described coinprising a conveyer, a supportprovided with a fixed portion and having an adjustable inclined portionor section permanently hinged at one end to the fixed portion andarranged to receive the contents of the conveyer, and means forautomatically discharging the said contents upon the inclined portion orsection, substantially as described.

1. An apparatus of the class described coinprising a conveyer, a supportor receptacle provided with a series ot' rollers to facilitate themovement of the contents of the conveyer over a portion ot' the supportor receptacle, the latter being also provided with means for retardingsuch movement, and means for discharging the contents of the conveyer onthe receptacle or support, substantiall y as described.

An apparatus of the class described comprising a conveyer, a tablearranged to receive the contents ot the con veyer and provided over aportion ot its surface with rollers, a plurality of hinged sectionsprovided with rollers and capable of independent adjustment, and meansfor supporting the hinged sections in their adjustment, substantially asdescribed.

ranged to be tilted, and a receiving-mide liavl ing a pluralityv otladjustable portions arranged to cooperate with the receiving portionsotl the carriers, substaiitially as described.

7. An apparatus ot the class described comprising an endless conveyerprovided at inter- .9. An apparatus of the class descrilied,eom prisinga conveyer, and a table arranged to ieceive the contents ot' theconveyer and provided with a plurality othinged sections arranged iiidili'erent planes and cooperating with the conveyer.

10. An apparatus ot' the class described, comprising a conveyer, and atable arranged to i'eceive the contents of the conveyer and providedwith a plurality of hinged sections having independent adjustment andcoperating with the conveyer.

11. An apparatus of the class described, comprising a conveyer providedwith a plurality ot' receiving portions operating in different planesand adapted to be tilted, and a table having portions in differentplanes to cooperate with the receiving portions ofthe conveyer.

12. An apparatus ot' the class described, comprising a conveyer providedwith a plurality o't' receiving portions ariauiged in ditl'erent planesand adapted to be tilted, a receiving-table, and a plurality of'inclined portions located between the table and the conveyer, saidinclined portions being in different planes.

13. ln an apparatus ot' thc class described, a conveyer provided with aplurality of receiving portions arranged in different planes, incombination with a plurality of inclined portions also located indifferent planes and cooperating with the conveyer.

1-1. ln an apparatus o-t' the class described, a conveyer provided withrigidly-mounted bottle-carriers, cach having a plurality of independentreceptacles, thc latter being ot' a length to receive a bottle whenplaced horizontally.

15. ln an apparatus ot the class described, a conveyer provided withrigidly-mounted bottle-carriers. each having independent recepl tacleslocatedV in different horizontal planes,

and maintaining a fixed relation with the conveyer, and a centralconnecting portion for 1 the receptacles forming an end wall for the 6.An apparatus ot the class described coini prising a conveyer providedwith carriers hav- E ing a plurality ot' receiving portions and ari valswith carriers having receiving portions i arranged at ditlerentelevations and provided with flanges and adapted to be tilted to causethe articles to roll over the tianees and means coi'ipcrating with thecarriers for receiving the contents thereof, substantially as described.

8. An apparatus of the class described,com

lower receptacle.

16. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with aconveyer, ot' a central stem mounted thereon, and a pair of independentreceptacles located one on each side thereof and arramged in differenthorizontal planes, each receptacle extending to the stem.

1T. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination withsupporting-wheels, of an endless con veyer arranged thereon and providedwith a rigidly-mounted carrier having a plurality ot' receivingportionsarranged to be tilted simultaneously as the conveyer passes over thewheels.

18. ln an apparatus of the class described, a conveyer provided with arigidly-inounted carrier having a plurality of receiving portionslocated in different horizontal planes and arranged to be tiltedsimultaneously.

19. 1n an apparatus of the class described, l

IOO

IIO

ITS

a conveyer provided with a plurality of receptacles arranged in dierenthorizontal planes, each receptacle being provided atopposite sides withmeans for retaining abottle on it when the carrier is ina horizontalposition, said means being adapted to permit the bottle to roll from thereceptacle when the carrier is tilted.

20. An apparatus of the class described provided with an endlessconveyer comprising a cable, clamps mounted on the cable and composed ofseparable sections and provided with means for connecting the sections,Awhereby they are clamped to the cable, each section being provided witha recess to form an interiorl chamber around the cable, a fillinglocated within the chamber and engaging the cable to prevent the clampsfrom slipping thereon, carriers supported by the clamps, and means forengaging the clamps for actuating the cable, substantially as described.

21. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a cable,a clamp composed of sections detachably secured together and engagingthe cable, said clamp being provided with aninterior chamber or recesssurrounding the cable, and a filling located within the chamber orrecess and engaging the cable to prevent the clamp from slippingthereon, substantially as described.

22. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a cable,a clamp, a carrier supported by the clamp, one of the parts beingprovided with a stem' and the other having a socket receiving the stem,whereby the carrier is detachably secured in position, and means forengaging the clamp for actuating the cable, substantially as described.

23. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a cable,a clamp perillanently mounted on the cable, a carrier supported by theclamp and detachably secured to the same, and means for engaging theclamp for actuating the cable.

24. An apparatus ofthe class described comprising a framework, verticalwheels, an endless cable arranged on the vertical wheels, clamps mountedon the cable and engaged by the wheels, carriers supported by theclamps, and a casing supported by the framework and having alongitudinal opening receiving the carriers, substantially as described.

25. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a cable,a clamp mounted on the cable and extending above and below the same, acarrier mounted on the upper portion of the clamp, means engaging thelower portion of the clamp for actuating the cable, wheels also carriedby the lower portion of the clamp and located below the cable when theclamp is in an upright position, and tracks on which the wheelsrun,`substantially as described;

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. GEGENHEIMER.

Witnesses: v

ELLIsoN T. LEAF, WEsLY D. DILKs.

